I have visited drug treatment centers throughout Central and South America that are treating their populations for substance use disorders. In Mexico, a former first lady, Margarita Zavala, made drug treatment one of her signature efforts. A recent report from Brazil indicates greater crack cocaine use there than in the United States.

Since 2006, the rate of cocaine use in the United States has decreased by 40 percent, and cocaine shipments have increased significantly to expanding markets in Africa, Spain and the European Union. We should recognize that every country has a drug problem, and that only by using a balanced strategy of prevention, treatment and law enforcement will we be successful in further reducing this problem.